Making the Most of Nap Time

I know for me when nap time comes I just want to chill, relax and take a deep breath! But I have also found that I need to make the most of nap time. It is a time that I have no interruptions. I can plan my time to suit my needs for that day. Nap time at our house is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. That’s a big chunk of time. My plan is that when my little one is older she would still have a quiet time. This gives me quite a bit of time to get things done, to have intentional “me time.” So how do I make the most of nap time?

Making the Most of Nap Time

Get all of your little one settled and down. I make sure all my little ones (my daughter and daycare kids) have all their needs met before nap time starts. I get them all settled so that there is no reason for them to need to get up or wake up early. If you have older kids make sure they know the boundaries of quiet time. Stay in room, quiet time activities, when it is over…etc. This is key to making the most of nap time!!!

Meet your needs. Yes take that deep breath and relax… eat your lunch with out standing LOL 🙂 I personally try to limit this time to 20-30 minutes. It is enough time to relax a little, make and eat my lunch without feeling rushed.

Limit your internet/social media time. This can be time sucker! Really that is what Facebook is a time sucker. I have to ask myself is that really how I want to spend 3 HOURS OF MY TIME A DAY. Set a timer if you have to. There are other more important things to do! A 5 min let me check email, FB, Twitter etc can turn in to an hour or longer. I know that I have been there! But really if you want to make the most of your children’s nap time you will have to set boundaries for yourself (including myself in this!) TRUTH!!!

Make a to do list. I make my to do list in the morning or I keep a running to do list for the week and add to it as I think of thing. Prioritize your list and get the most important thing done first and work your way through it.

Complete your to do list. Complete at much of your to do list as possible. If you can’t get it all done during nap time do the most important items first! Set a certain amount of time to completing task before moving on! Don’t allow yourself to become distracted! 😉

Take time to get dinner started or planned. This is a great way to have a plan in place for when dinner time comes around your not scrambling to figure out what is for dinner.

Get snack ready. Be prepared for when those little ones get up! Have a drink and snack ready for them.

Plan an activity. Plan an activity to do with your little ones when they get up. Read books, set up a craft, play-dough. Make the time right after nap time one where you participate with them! Have a special time! Make memories 🙂

Take sometime to do an activity that you enjoy. Like to read? Read. Like to craft? Craft. Like to bake? Bake! Take a half hour or so to do what you love. To refresh your self. Don’t get on the computer or your phone during this time! Really take the time to step away and do something you love! Really time sucker Facebook will still be there 3 hour later…or even a week later!

I have found that devoting part of nap time to accomplishing task that need to get done really does not take much time at all! Especially if I stay up with my to do list! It gets shorter! And the stress goes down. Remember to manage your time wisely! We all have the same 24 hours in a day to accomplish our task!